Childhood obesity? There could be more to it than just food.

What comes to your mind when you think about obesity? As a child, obesity has always followed me. This blog topic is more of what I have gone through in my life time with research backing what others have gone through as well. For me, there was a lot of emotional trauma I endured that I do believe contributed to my obesity. I think between my own emotional trauma and the obesity, they fed off each other and caused a massive rollercoaster. For me, this topic is near and dear to my heart. This for me, is a personal testament of what I have gone through within my life. All my experiences, trials and tribulations, and how as an adult I am slowly overcoming these hurdles.
While childhood obesity is increasing rapidly, there are preventative measures parents should take to assist in the reduction of childhood obesity. Reducing technology, increasing exercise, and determining mental status of a child would greatly assist in the reduction of obesity in children.

How does mental health contributes to childhood obesity?

As someone who has dealt with obesity throughout childhood, the mental game was always the biggest struggle for me. I was bullied, which created the insecure stigma that wrapped my brain. “Over-Weight children were more likely to experience multiple associated psychosocial problems than their healthy-weight peers, which may be adversely influenced by obese stigma, teasing, and bullying. Obese stigma, teasing, and bullying are pervasive and can have serious consequences for emotional and physical health and performance.” (Rankin, 2016). After being bullied, I experienced more and more self doubt and insecurities. I internalized a my feelings and turned towards emotionally eating in high school. It was a cycle. I would eat and then feel absolutely terrible and guilty about what just occurred and I would mentally beat myself up because of it.

Technology is also a primary contributor to childhood obesity.

Most of my childhood, I remember running around and playing made-up games with my sister in the backyard. We would go explore all of the nooks and crannies within the fence and find all the creatures under rocks. This memory is so precious to my adolescent years. When I was the age between elementary school and middle school, technology was still up and coming. Throughout late middle school and high school age, though, technology was increasing and playing outside decreased for me. Technology was new, inviting, and sucked me into the screen and had no return. My generation was the start of the technological era of children choosing inside electronic games over running around outside and creating their own unique experiences.
“Current evidence suggests that screen media exposure leads to obesity in children and adolescents through increased eating while viewing; exposure to high-calorie, low-nutrient food and beverage marketing that influences children’s preferences, purchase requests, consumption habits; and reduced sleep duration. Eating while viewing is one important way that screen media exposure increases children’s energy intake. Studies have revealed that children consume a large proportion of their daily calories and meals while watching screen media. In 1 study, up to a third of daily energy intake and half of children’s meals were consumed in front of a screen. Some of this effect may be because of the large amount of time spent with screens, the types of high-energy foods and beverages that are consumed while viewing, media acting as a trigger or prompt to eating, media extending the duration of eating, or media distracting from or obscuring feelings of fullness or satiety.” (Robinson, 2017).

Lastly, lack of exercise is increasing childhood obesity rates.

Technology usage and lack of exercise tend to go hand in hand. Increased technology usage and decreased exercise could be compared side by side and establish a connection. Just like I stated above, when I was exposed to more technology aspects within our home growing up, the time I spent playing and running around outdoors was reduced significantly. I do believe that I was, and honestly still am, tethered to the electronic devices that have since consumed my life and reduced my motivation to experience exercising. “Parents have a major influence on their children regarding their activity/inactivity levels. Wardle, et al., found that children from overweight/obese families had higher preferences for a sedentary lifestyle when compared to children from normal weight families. Another study looked at parental activity patterns and compared them to a child’s likelihood to participate in extracurricular sporting activities. It was found that if both parents were identified to be active, their children would participate in more (0.6) sports and have slightly better cardiovascular fitness than the children who had only one parent active or both parents inactive.” (Pino, 2007).
I do believe that children are not solely responsible for childhood obesity. Now, I am not putting blame on anyone, however, when raising a child, you are teaching them how to tackle life.

Wrapping it up.

Over the past few decades, childhood obesity is increasing. This is something that is linked to each evidence piece. Parents are the first step to help prevent the possibility of childhood obesity. At the end of the day, those who are responsible for raising us, are responsible even for this aspect of our physical well-being. Our childhood is the fundamental foundation to the rest of our adult life. If we are taught wrong from the beginning, we will lead unsuccessful lives until we learn and adapt to new ways of living.
I, myself, am still learning and adapting. I am trying to unlearn terrible habits that were instilled in me for 18 years of my childhood. I know it will be a long process, but I am determined to undo what tangled mess was done to me.

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